KATHMANDU, August 23: Nepal suffered a narrow one-run defeat to Pakistan Shaheens in the ongoing Top End T20 Series in Australia on Friday.
The match, played at the Marrara Cricket Ground in Darwin, saw Pakistan Shaheens set a target of 145 runs after electing to bat first. They posted 144 runs for the loss of nine wickets in their allotted 20 overs. Captain Irfan Khan top-scored with 42 runs off 26 balls, hitting three fours and one six. Abdul Samad added 26, Mohammad Wasim 23, and Yasir Khan contributed 18 runs.
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For Nepal, Sompal Kami claimed three wickets, while Nandan Yadav and Dipendra Singh Airee picked up two wickets each. Kusal Bhurtel took one wicket.
In reply, Nepal managed 143 runs for the loss of seven wickets in 20 overs, falling agonizingly short of the target. Captain Rohit Paudel led the chase with 52 runs off 44 balls, including six fours and a six. Dipendra Singh Airee scored 41, Aasif Sheikh added 27, and Lokesh Bam chipped in with 10 runs.
Among the Pakistan bowlers, Mohammad Wasim and Faisal Akram took two wickets each, while Mohammad Salman grabbed one wicket.
With this defeat, Nepal have been eliminated from the competition, securing only four points from six matches. Earlier, Nepal suffered losses to Northern Territory Strikers (by 42 runs), Bangladesh ‘A’ (by 32 runs), and Melbourne Stars Academy (by 31 runs). Their two victories came against Hobart Hurricanes Academy (by 66 runs) and Melbourne Renegades Academy (by 33 runs).
